The Long Winding Road
by Oracle Of Elements
Summary: The story of the Golden Sun is indeed a long and winding road. But whoever said it was going to be easy was very wrong. Especially when a certain Mercury Adept joins your party. Eventual Mudshipping.


The Long Winding Road

Well, hello there. Long time no see. Yes, it's true. I'm back after a very long break from fanfiction. I suppose everyone is annoyed at me for not finishing such amazing stories like 'Golden Sun: Critical Hit', but all is not lost.

Jenna: That was not an amazing story. It was mediocre at best.

Oh, super. You're still here. Anyway, I may be through with that story (I liked it at first, but I realised I didn't know where it was going and couldn't think up a good end for it), but I've started a new long term story that I will seriously try to finish this time.

Tiamet: Promises, promises.

Hey, I'm not making promises, but I'm going to try my best, alright?

Dawn Tail: Not good enough!

Oh, shut … hang on! Who are you?

Dawn Tail: I'm Dawn Tail, daughter of Tiamet, guardian of sacred amethyst stones, and destroyer of writer's block, at your service.

Ahhh, so that's why I've been able to write lately. Thank you.

Dawn Tail: My pleasure.

Anyway, here you go. My newest piece of fanfiction. I hope you like it. Disclaimer please!

Jenna: Oracle doesn't own Golden Sun or any Golden Sun related characters, places or objects.

Tiamet: Camelot and Nintendo own them.

Dawn Tail: So there's no need to sue her!

* * *

**The Long Winding Road**

**Chapter One: The Mercury Lighthouse**

Snow fell gently onto the white blanket that already covered everything in sight as three figures appeared at the entrance to a small northern town. They all tried to huddle together while making their way slowly through the thick snow at the feet. Their sights were set on the inn, which thankfully was only a short distance away. The beauty of the wintry scene was completely lost on them. All they wanted was to get into the warm, shed their sodden clothes and fill their bellies with something warm.

As they approached the inn, the innkeeper and his wife appeared at the door. They waved them inside, concerned for their health.

"You really shouldn't be travelling in such conditions," the innkeeper scolded them. "Dear, go get them something hot to eat."

His wife nodded, gave the travellers one last look, before rushing off to the kitchen while her husband ushered them into the chairs closest to the fire.

"We di-i-idn't know it would be so-o-o cold up here," said one of the boys, his voice sounding thick from underneath the cloak that he'd wrapped around his face for warmth and protection from the snowstorm that had only recently subsided.

"I see. Not from around here, then?" asked the innkeeper, raising an eyebrow at them. "What brings three young travellers up to the hidden town of Imil?"

One of the three boys removed the hood of his cloak and looked calmly at the man. His blonde hair that usually stood out at angles was limp and damp, but his bright blue eyes were alert.

"No reason," he answered. "We were only heading north to seek out the lighthouse where we can pray to the Gods of Mercury for peace, good health and prosperity. We're pilgrims, you see, on a spiritual journey across Weyard."

"Pilgrims, huh? Makes sense. We get enough of them around here," replied the innkeeper with a smile. "Ain't that right, dear?"

The innkeeper's wife had returned carrying three huge bowls of soup on a tray. As she placed the food in front of the three boys, she turned to her husband and asked, "What's that?"

"I was just saying these boys are pilgrims, which makes sense because of the lighthouse."

"Oh, yes. Although, it's no good at the moment. The holy water that used to flow into the fountain at the base has stopped flowing. Just at the wrong time as well. Worst winter we've had in decades and we can't even use the healing water of Mercury to help take care of the sick," explained the innkeeper's wife, sitting herself down next to her husband.

The two other boys removed their hoods and immediately started to eat the hot soup, but the blonde continued to gaze at the couple in interest.

"What's the 'healing water of Mercury'?" he asked them.

"Oh, it's just amazing. Used to flow all the time. Once you've had only a tiny sip of this miracle liquid it revitalized you. Heals any ailment or injury you might have. But for some reason it's just stopped. Not a drop has been found in the fountain for months now," the innkeeper's wife continued, happy to share the story with such a fascinated traveller. "If we didn't have Mia, well, who knows how many of us would have passed away from colds caused by this terrible weather."

Before the boy could even ask, the innkeeper put up and hand and said, "Mia's our resident healer. Some say she's the last remaining descendentof the Mercury Clan that used to live here, which is probably why she's so good at curing people. Good healers were the Mercury Clan. Although, saying that, they did nearly die out so maybe they're not that good after all."

The boy simply nodded as the couple began to laugh hysterically. He lifted up his bowl and put a big spoonful of the warm broth into his mouth, making him feel instantly refreshed.

'Mia, huh?' he thought to himself.

* * *

Light streamed into the small bedroom the following morning, waking Isaac from his light sleep. He hadn't been able to dream peacefully since the quest had begun, but at least he was in a warm bed and not in the cold wilderness like the previous night. As his eyes adjusted to the bright winter sun, he realised that there was someone in the room he didn't recognise. Garet was in the bed to his left, snoring away as usual, and Ivan was in the bed to his right, but there was someone else by the door.

Isaac gently twisted his head around to get a better look and could just see the back of a heavily robed girl with the most brilliant blue hair. She reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't quite think of a name.

Something stirred to his right and Isaac noticed that Ivan was also awake and staring straight at the blonde leader. He held up a finger to his lips and, nodding in agreement, Isaac lay back against his bed, listening to what was happening.

"…should be alright. I've checked them over and they don't seem injured or ill. They're just tired from journeying up here."

"Oh, that's good," the familiar voice of the innkeeper replied. "I was worried after seeing them come in last night, chilled to the bone and starving. But some food and sleep seems to have done them the world of good."

"Yes, that is the best course of action. If only the other villagers would take your advice and get some rest too, but the weather has got everyone worried. If they would just stop running about stocking up on food and making sure their homes can keep out the cold, then they'd probably feel a lot better."

"That's true, but since when has anyone ever listened to reason around here?"

"Hmmm. I just wish they would. It would make my job so much easier."

"Never mind, Mia. By the way, how are your grandparents doing? Are they any better?"

"They're getting there, but they're still not allowed out of bed."

"Ha ha! I bet they're not too happy about that…"

The voices were getting quieter and when Isaac finally sat up, he realised that they'd finally left and the door had been shut behind them.

"Who was that?" Ivan asked curiously. "She had a very strange aura about her. Quite cold, yet soothing. Like water."

"Water! That's it!" Isaac exclaimed as he got out of bed and started to dress himself. "I kept wondering what was familiar about her. That was the same feeling I got from Alex when I first met him. She even looks like Alex. Well, her hair colour is the same and she wears the same kind of robes. I bet they're both Mercury Adepts!"

Pondering over this, Ivan nodded and got up as well.

"It's entirely possible. You have met Alex before so you would know, but let's not go jumping to conclusions. She could have no connection to him whatsoever. Let me get close to her again and I'll see if I can read her mind. We'll have to convince her to willingly let me enter her mind though. If she is an adept she could easily prevent me from seeing anything and then it'll be difficult to gain her trust."

"Alright then. We have a plan. First, we'll find out more about Mia, and then we'll head towards the lighthouse and make sure it hasn't been ignited. Let's just hope we're not too late."

Strapping his sheath to his back, Isaac adjusted his armour so that it felt more comfortable before tossing Garet's own sword onto the sleeping warrior, who woke up with a start.

Confused and still half-asleep, Garet tried to get up, but ended up sprawled across the floor at the foot of his bed.

"Wha…what's happening?" he asked, rubbing his head where he'd banged it.

"Come on, Garet," Isaac replied as Ivan joined him by the door fully robed. "We're going. Get dressed and join us downstairs as soon as possible."

The two blonde boys left the room, Ivan chuckling at Garet's antics, leaving the Mars Adept, who was still in daze, to flop back on his bed for a few more minutes of sleep.

* * *

"It's way too early in the morning to be up, especially after such a meagre breakfast!" Garet complained as he lugged his axe behind him through the snow.

"Well, we would have had time for more if you hadn't fallen asleep again," answered Ivan, shaking the bottom of his robes to get rid of the heavy snow that had stuck to him.

The three of them were making their way through the small town, trying to find the elusive healer named Mia that may have some connection to their enemy. They'd already had a bad time on the slippery pond in the centre of the town. It had to be crossed as it led to the sanctum, but each of the adepts had slipped and fallen leaving them cold, wet and sore despite the warm clothing they'd purchased earlier.

"Shut up, you two," said Isaac, growing more impatient as he kept glancing at the lighthouse in the distance. "We need to find her soon and your bickering isn't helping us."

Silenced by their leader's words, the two boys followed Isaac, but continued to send angry remarks to each other mentally.

As they approached the only house that they hadn't checked, they gripped their weapons tightly before Isaac knocked on the door. A weary voice told them to enter, which they did.

"Hello. We're looking for Mia the healer. Is she here?" asked Isaac as he looked around the home, but the only people he could see were an elderly couple occupying the beds at the back of the room.

"Sorry, lad," the old man replied, sitting up on his pillows. "We haven't seen her all morning."

"What do you want with our granddaughter?" the woman asked, warily eying up the weapons in the boy's hands.

Holding up his free hand in mock surrender, Garet answered, "Hey, now. We mean no harm. We just want to talk to her, that's all."

"Talk to me about what?"

The boys turned to find Mia herself standing in the doorway. She looked each of them up and down before pushing past to approach the bedridden couple.

Finally, Isaac could have a good look at the girl. It was true that she shared the same colour hair as the villainous Alex, but after that the similarities spotted. Her skin was very pale, probably due to the lack of light in this wintry town. Her whole body was swathed in thick, blue and white robes, except for her face. But it was her eyes that stood out the most. They were a brilliant aquamarine, the same shade as her hair, and they shone with care and concern as she looked down at the couple.

"I hope these boys aren't bothering you two," Mia said to them as she gently placed her hands on her grandfather's chest.

"Oh, they're no bother," her grandmother replied. "Just some curious boys interested in talking to our beautiful granddaughter."

Mia hid an embarrassed smile as she began to work her magic. She muttered the word 'Ply', which activated the spell and conjured a tiny fairy from out of no where. It flew happily over her head before hovering over the old man and sprinkling him with blue dust. The dust turned into a blue glow when it touched him and spread out across his body until he was covered in the light.

Watching in awe, the three boys took a few steps closer to the healer to get a better look at what she was doing. As they did, the fairy disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and the blue glow seemed to be absorbed into the man frail body.

"What was that?" Ivan asked in shock.

"Ply," Mia replied. "Or at least the physical representation of Ply. It's a healing spell, but the fairy is only really for show. The blue glow is what's important as it means the spell is working."

"Sounds complicated to me," muttered Garet.

Mia simply giggled and replied, "Well, yes. I suppose it is. Only the Mercury Clan has ever been able to utilize the power of Ply. It's been passed down for generations."

"Then you must be an adept! And that must have been psynergy!" exclaimed Isaac.

"A what? I have no idea what you…"

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a flash of light that shone from outside the window. It blinded everyone for a brief moment before fading, but it caused everyone, except the old couple, to rush to the windows.

"It can't be…Alex…" Mia murmured to herself before she ran out of the house.

"What was that?" asked the old man.

"The Mercury Lighthouse has been lit," Isaac replied. "Come on guys! We've got to get up there!"

The three of them rushed off after Mia leaving the old couple to shrug their weary shoulders and drift back to sleep.

* * *

"Mia! Left!"

Turning to her left, Mia brought her wooden staff down over her head. It collided hard with a particularly powerful Mimic that had cunningly taken the shape of a treasure chest and had viciously attacked when Ivan had tried to open it. The blow to the head stunned the creature for a moment, before it began to snap at it's opponents once more with lethal looking pincers.

Prepared for the attack, Mia held up her free left hand and cried, "Tundra!" She jumped back as a barrage of ice hurtled down towards the Mimic. Satisfied that her attack had taken care of the creature, she turned to head past the boys, who had followed her into the lighthouse, with a smile on her face.

"You see? I don't require the assistance of pilgrims. The Mercury Clan are much more than healers. We are skilled fighters and command the mighty element of water," she told them, unaware that the Mimic had dodged her attack and was creeping towards her on it's spindly legs.

The creature rose up on it's hind legs behind her, ready to sink it's sharp teeth into her and it would have done if Isaac wasn't ready with his sword.

"MOVE!" he yelled, summoning a large, white hand made of psynergy to push Mia out of the way before he lunged forward at the attacking monster.

His sword sliced easily through the Mimic, leaving its two halves twitching violently on the ground until they eventually broke apart into a pile of ash, as all monsters did once defeated. Satisfied that the Mimic was definitely down this time, Isaac sheathed his sword and approached Mia, who was still slumped on the floor where she'd been thrown.

"Never, ever turn your back on an enemy unless you're sure it's been defeated," he told her as he held out a hand. "Need some help?"

"Not from you!" she answered angrily. "I was handling that Mimic fine! I didn't need your help and I certainly didn't need you pushing me so forcefully!"

As she got to her feet, Mia glared viciously at Isaac, and then turned to Garet and Ivan.

"Who are you anyway? I was told you were pilgrims, but pilgrims don't battle like you do. Tell me your names and reason for defiling this sacred place!"

Not used to being talked to in such a way, unless it was Jenna, Garet glared back at her and answered, "I'm Garet and this is Isaac. Ivan here is a shrimp we picked up on our travels…oomph!"

He buckled over as Ivan shoved the end of his staff into Garet's stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"We're here to stop the lighthouse being lit, but it seems we were too late," Isaac continued. "There's a group who are planning to light all of the lighthouses and set free the power of pure Alchemy into the world. I believe you're already acquainted with Alex."

"Yes, he was my apprentice, but he disappeared a while ago and never returned. You said he has companions?"

"Yes," Ivan answered shyly taking a step towards the confident girl. "Two Mars Adepts, Saturos and Menardi, a Venus Adept, Felix, and two hostages from Isaac and Garet's home town, Jenna and Kraden."

Taking a moment to consider this, Mia suddenly beamed at them and said, "Excellent! Four on four would suit me much better than four on one. In that case, I will join your party since we both want the lighthouses to remain unlit and you can benefit from my great power."

With that, she strode ahead through the next door way, leaving the three boys dumbstruck behind her.

"What a strange girl," Ivan commented.

"Hmmm," answered Isaac with a frown.

"What a woman!" stated Garet with a dazed look in his eyes.

* * *

After finally catching up with Mia, the group found themselves at a crossroad within the never-ending tunnels of the Mercury Lighthouse. One tunnel led left and one led right. Looking intently down both in turn, Isaac was about to announce his decision when someone spoke up before him.

"It's left," Mia told them without a second though, already heading down that tunnel.

"Hey! Hold on!" Isaac yelled after her, forcing her to come to a halt. "I think it's to the right."

Stiffening, Mia turned, her robes billowing around her, and glared once more at the blonde leader.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her voice icy cold.

"I think it's to the right," Isaac repeated. "The air down there smells fresher and I can feel a slight breeze. It leads outside, possibly to the aerie."

Mia slowly walked back towards the group until she was right in front of Isaac. The stormy look upon her face made Garet and Ivan visibly recoil in fear.

With her face inches away from Isaac's and her eyes flashing angrily, she asked him, "Have you ever been in this lighthouse before?"

"No," Isaac replied truthfully.

"Then shut up and listen to me! It's left!"

She turned on the spot and began to march off towards the left again until she realised she wasn't being followed.

"Come on!" she yelled at them, without looking back.

The boys reluctantly followed, obviously surprised by this girl who had first appeared to be a caring, quiet healer from an isolated northern town.

"She's starting to scare me," Garet murmured to his friends, his opinion of Mia having completely changed. "It's like she has two personalities, one when she's healing people and one when she's doing anything else! Are all Mercury Adepts like this?"

"Not sure," Ivan answered. "I've never met one before. You and Isaac know more about them than me. What was Alex like, Isaac?"

Isaac didn't answer. He had his gaze fixed firmly on the back of Mia's head and was trying to calmly count to ten under his breath to keep his anger over their new friend's actions in check.

"Isaac?" Ivan said again, nudging their quiet leader.

"Hmmm?" asked Isaac, finally realising that Ivan was talking to him. "I only met Alex for a few minutes, so I wouldn't really know. He didn't seem all that friendly though. Maybe you should just read her mind and find out what's wrong with her."

Ivan just laughed before answering, "Are you kidding? If she realised what I was doing she'd probably impale me on one of her icicles before I'd find out anything useful."

"Good point," Garet commented. "Although, it sure would make things quieter around here. Heh…ouch!"

Ivan grinned slyly as he pulled his hand away from Garet's burnt arm, lightning jumping between his fingers.

* * *

The rest of the journey after that was fairly easy going as the monster weren't that powerful and the puzzles were easily solved by their combined knowledge. The boys soon discovered that Mia was much warmer towards them as long as they did as she asked and didn't complain. Also, after a few battles with some monsters, Mia began to learn a few fighting techniques that helped her to protect herself without Isaac having to jump in again.

"Take that!"

As before, Mia struck with a Tundra attack, then followed it up with several sharp blows with the end of her staff. The Harpy went down and stayed down, it's body breaking into pieces on the floor until it turned to ash.

"I told you!" Mia cried gleefully. "Never doubt the power of Mercury!"

Luckily, she'd turned her back to the others just as Garet and Ivan had to restrain Isaac as he tired to lung at her in a fit of rage at her behaviour.

"We're nearly there," she told them gleefully, leading them through one of the many waterfalls that the lighthouse seemed to be full of.

Shoving their way through the powerful torrent of water, the group spent a few minutes drying themselves beside a fire that Garet had summoned. Then, after finally looking around the room that Mia had directed them into, the boys realised that there was no exit other than going back through the waterfall. The only other thing in the room besides them was one of the maiden statues that were also a recurring feature of the ancient structure.

"Urm…Mia? Where do we go now? This is a dead end," said Ivan as he used a whirlwind to put out the fire.

"I guess you don't know your way around as well as you thought," Isaac told her with a smirk.

Stiffening once more, Mia visibly took a deep breath to calm herself before she began to delve into the deep pockets of her robes.

"What items do you have?" she asked them without answering Ivan's question or Isaac's remark.

Everyone grudgingly drew all the items they had out of their pockets and placed them on the floor for everyone to see. In total they had fifteen nuts, four potions, five antidotes, six psy crystals, three smoke bombs, and two water of life. Unsure of where Mia was going with this, the boys all looked at her curiously as they replaced their items.

"What was that all about?" Garet demanded, perhaps a little too aggressively. His mood had slowly become steadily fouler the further into the lighthouse they went as the power Mercury became more concentrated.

"Well, we have to make sure we have enough items to protect ourselves in case we have to fight. Would you prefer it if we weren't prepared?" Mia asked with her hands on her hips.

"But how do we get up to the aerie?" Isaac asked, getting frustrated at the Mercury Adept's lack of answers.

"Ply," was the only thing Mia said.

She held out her hands towards the statue as the same blue light as before radiated from them. The fairy reappeared once again and sprinkled dust over the statue's head before vanishing. For a moment nothing happened, but Mia's grin didn't fade away.

Suddenly the whole room began to rumble causing everyone to grab onto the wall for support. As the boys watched for some sort of change in their surroundings, their eyes widened in shock when the waterfall changed direction and the stream started to flow upwards into the ceiling.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Garet exclaimed, tentatively placing a hand in the flowing water in case it was an illusion.

"Magic," answered Mia with a sly smile. "Are you impressed by the power of Mercury?"

Ivan nodded enthusiastically where as Isaac merely shrugged, trying not to show how amazed he really was. The blonde leader walked over to the now upwards waterfall, trying to look at it as if it were something that people come across everyday.

"After you then," he finally said as he took a step back and bowed mockingly to let Mia past.

Ignoring his attempt to annoy her, Mia swept past him, her long robes and hair flowing out behind her, and jumped gracefully into the water. It carried her upwards until she vanished through a gap in the ceiling.

Not wanting to be outdone by her, Isaac quickly followed. However, he wasn't nearly as graceful and ended up thrashing about in the current, waving his arms wildly while Garet and Ivan laughed at him from below.

When Isaac was finally able to open his eyes and mouth without having his senses bombarded by water, he found himself outside once more. He sat up slowly and looked around at what appeared to be a tower just below the lighthouse's aerie. Everything was made of beautiful blue tinged stone that glowed brightly in the light of the massive azure orb that hung in the air far above him.

"Have fun?"

Mia's words immediately brought his attention back to their situation and, as he got to his feet, he replied, "Oh, shut up!"

"That's no way to speak to a lady," Garet said as he appeared behind them with Ivan.

The bitter cold of the snow storm that had picked up while they were travelling through the lighthouse's interior chilled them to the bone. It didn't help that they were still soaked from their trip up the waterfall, but that all grinned and bared it while Garet tried to summon another small fire.

"So, the lighthouse really has been lit," Mia said with a sigh as she gazed up at the floating ball of light.

"No wonder I feel so drained," muttered Garet, looking down at the pitiful fire by his feet that lacked the usual ferocity his Mars Psynergy contained.

"I have failed the one task my clan set me," Mia continued sorrowfully. "I have no right at all to call myself a true member of the Mercury Clan."

Ivan gently placed a hand on her sagging shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but she still looked disappointed.

"There was nothing you could have done. You didn't know this was going to happen. We were the ones who should have done something," Isaac told her. "Garet and I came all the way from Vale knowing that they had to be stopped and yet we still failed to prevent the lighthouse being lit."

"You come from Vale?" asked Mia, finally tearing her gaze away from the lighthouse's top. "Does that mean you're healers from the Sol Sanctum?"

"No, we're just Adepts of Vale, but how do you know about the Sol Sanctum?" Garet demanded. "There aren't even that many people in Vale who know about it. How does an Imil healer know about it?"

"It's mentioned briefly in the scriptures of my clan," Mia answered dismissively.

"But that's not important now. How did the lighthouse become lit? Doesn't it need the Mercury Star for that?"

Isaac nodded solemnly before replying, "It was stolen from the sanctum as well as the Jupiter and Venus Stars by Alex and his companions. The only one that's safe is the Mars Star. That's why we're here. To get the rest of them back."

"I see."

Looking up at the beacon once more, Mia started to head off towards it. When she once again realized that she wasn't being followed, she turned and stamped her foot angrily.

"Well, come on then!" she yelled at them. "We've got a job to do! Let's get those Elemental Stars back to the sanctum!"

Once again annoyed by Mia's attempts to take over his role as the leader of their group, Isaac reluctantly dashed after her, determined not to let her get to the aerie first. But he needn't have worried. The Imilian girl had frozen mid step at the top of the stairs that led to where the beacon shone. Having stopped so suddenly to prevent himself from running into Mia, he was very nearly knocked over himself when Garet slammed into his back.

"Hey! Warn me the next time you do that!" Garet complained while Isaac rubbed his sore back. "What's going on?"

Isaac peered around Mia's shoulder to see what had caused her to stop. One look was all it took for his insides to start bubbling furiously as anger began to rise up within him. Ahead of him stood the confident form of Menardi, smirking at them from across the aerie.

"So, you finally made it," she commented, flipping her long blonde hair over her shoulders as she gazed at them with the flames of battle in her eyes. "And there I was thinking that you were serious when you said you were going to stop us. You'll have to be much quicker at the next lighthouse."

"Isaac! Garet!" a voice called out.

The two boys turned immediately to see Jenna standing on a platform at the opposite side of the aerie with Felix and Kraden. She didn't look hurt and neither did Kraden, which was a relief to both Isaac and Garet, but they had no idea how they were being treated by their captors.

"Let them go!" Isaac demanded.

"Give me the Mars Star!" answered Menardi.

"Never!"

"Then they stay with us until our task is complete," Menardi said as she sneered at him.

Isaac quickly unsheathed his sword and brandished it in the direction of the powerful Mars Adept with every intention of running her through. He was shocked, however, when Mia stepped in front of him defensively with her staff held above her head, ready to summon an attack if need be.

"Stand down!" Mia ordered with a determined look upon her face. "This lighthouse is sacred to my clan and you are violating its blessed aerie. Even worse, you dare to light the holy beacon of Mercury that is supposed to remain unlit! Leave now before we make you pay for the crimes you have committed!"

For a moment, Menardi simply stared blankly at the brave girl that dared to speak in such a way to her. Suddenly, she started to laugh. She kept laughing long and hard, almost dropping her scythe, making Mia more and more furious.

"What are you laughing at?" Mia asked aggressively, her staff beginning to glow blue with her pent up power.

"You!" Menardi finally managed to splutter, clutching her sides. "I'll admit it, girl. You've got some guts talking to me like that. But you've got absolutely no chance of beating me, even with that attitude of yours."

Standing her ground, Mia maintained her fighting stance, unwilling to back down.

"Alright then, if that's how you want to play it," said Menardi with a shrug as she took a step forward, her scythe held tightly by both hands.

Isaac, Garet and Ivan imitated her actions and also stepped forward to join Mia, causing Menardi to cautiously raise am eyebrow, but she didn't move an inch. The group were about to attack the lone Adept when a figure appeared from behind the glowing Mercury orb. He approached them with a cold gleam in his eyes, stopping behind Menardi, who grinned up at him.

"That's alright, Saturos," she told him. "I can take them. You needn't dirty your hands on such trivial little whelps."

"Menardi, take the hostages and leave with Felix now," Saturos ordered without looking at his partner. "I'll take care of them."

Speechless, Menardi stared up at the blue-skinned man in astonishment.

"What are you talking about? I'm strong enough to handle them by myself! You know that!"

"But I'm stronger than you and by lighting this lighthouse the power of Mercury has greatly hindered our naturally superior abilities. You go, I'll keep them busy," Saturos explained. "That's an order, Menardi."

For a moment, Menardi was shocked. She continued to gaze at him, her mouth open slightly as if she was going to say something.

"Menardi, go," he said, his voice hard and emotionless as he finally glanced down at her, their eyes meeting for the briefest moment.

Menardi nodded silently, sent one last glare in the direction of Isaac and his group before she walked off towards the other side of the aerie. She jumped swiftly onto the platform where the siblings and Kraden were, and pushed Jenna out of her way angrily.

"Hey! Don't push her!" Felix yelled as Kraden helped the young girl back to her feet.

"Yeah! Don't push me!" agreed Jenna with a murderous look in her eyes.

"Shut up you insignificant twerp!" Menardi countered before turning to Felix. "And you had better never talk to me like that again or you'll meet with very serious consequences!"

Although he still looked furious at the more powerful Adept's actions, Felix backed down and went to see if Jenna was alright.

Pressing a large piece of stone that stuck out from the rest of the platform's floor, Menardi took one last look at her partner then disappeared with the others as the platform descended back into the lighthouse.

"Excellent. Now, who's ready to die?" Saturos asked, pointing his huge, heavy blade in the direction of Isaac's chest, a wicked smile tugging at his lips.

'Oh, Sol,' Ivan mentally cursed, projecting his thoughts to the others as they too readied their weapons for what promised to be a very difficult battle.

* * *

And there is it. The first chapter. Kinda long, I know, but I wanted it to be interesting and couldn't find a good place to stop. I'm really pleased with it though.

Jenna: I only have two lines! Two!

It's following Isaac's group on the first part of their journey so no. You're not going to be a big star in this one.

Jenna: I hate it!

Shut up. As you've probably seen, I've slightly altered the usual personality of a certain Mercury Adept. This is because I recently read a fanficthat portrayed Mia as a very timid, damsel in distress character that really didn't like. Mia's an Adept. She may be a little shy and gentle, but she's no pushover. She grew up in an isolated village where everyone depended on her. I think she'd be a bit stronger and more confident in herself than people give her credit for. So, that's what inspired me to write this fanfic. Also, I really thought it would be funny to see how Isaac deals with such a confident girl entering their group and taking over as leader. What do you think?

Tiamet: Good start.

Dawn Tail: Yep! I liked it!

Good good. And how about you, my happy, little readers? Did you enjoy it? Read and review and I'll see you next chapter!


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